What Is Embryo Adoption?

1. What Is Embryo Adoption? Adoption has always been a viable option for optimistic parents looking to expand their families and experience all of the joys of parenthood. The newest kind of adoption now allows adoptive parents to experience the joys and trials of pregnancy and childbirth, thanks to improvements in reproductive health and technology. Embryo adoption is a type of adoption in which the adoptive mother is allowed to bear and deliver her genetically unrelated child. Rather than adopting an already-born child, adoptive parents start the process nine months ahead of time by adopting a frozen embryo donated by a couple who has undergone in vitro fertilization. This new type of adoption offers potential adoptive parents another choice to consider, with its own set of protocols, perks, and obstacles. This page explains what frozen embryo adoption is, how it works, who it benefits, and what couples and individuals should think about if they want to adopt an embryo. HOW DOES THE EMBRYO ADOPTION PROCESS WORK? The process of legally transferring parental rights and obligations from one parent to the other is known as adoption. The same holds true for embryo adoption, with a few notable exceptions. The following explanation provides a basic overview of the embryo adoption procedure as well as some major distinctions between embryo and baby adoption.

2. Adopting an Embryo: A Step-by-Step Guide Depending on the agency embryo donors and adoptive parents choose to partner with, the embryo adoption process may differ slightly. All embryo adoptions will, in general, comprise the following steps: Embryo Donation — When a couple decides to donate viable, healthy embryos to another couple or individual who is struggling to have a family on their own, the embryo adoption process begins. Embryo donors are parents who have undergone in vitro fertilization (IVF) to complete their families and have unused, frozen embryos left over. These embryos could be frozen in storage, discarded, donated for scientific research, or adopted by another person or couple. Those who decide on embryo donation are subsequently paired with adoptive parents through a fertility clinic or an embryo adoption agency, or they can pursue an independent adoption with parents they’ve already selected. Embryo donors can also choose to donate anonymously, which means they are not involved in selecting the adoptive family with whom they are paired and do not meet or exchange identifying information with them. Choosing an Agency — Adoptive parents will submit an application to work for the embryo adoption organization. These organizations help families donate and adopt embryos by coordinating legal, medical, matching, and counseling services, as well as mediating contact between the donating and adopting families.

3. Agency Selection: The embryo adoption procedure, pricing, eligibility restrictions, available services, and more are all influenced by the agency a family chooses to partner with. Adoptive families should conduct thorough research before selecting an embryo adoption agency that will best fulfill their needs. Home Study: Adoptive parents will need to complete an adoptive home study, which examines their family’s fitness to raise an adopted child and helps give additional knowledge about parenting adopted children, just like in any other adoption. Matching: Prospective parents will be requested to enter information about themselves and the sorts of donated families they are interested in when they are ready to begin the adoption process. Donors will also supply personal information, such as their medical history and the types of adoptive homes they choose for their embryos. Parents may consider age, race, income, religion, existing children, and a desire for future contact when choosing the types of families with whom they’d like to be matched. Families who meet each other’s requirements will receive profiles from matching donor/adopting families from which to pick. If the families choose each other and agree to the match, they will proceed jointly through the process. Legal Contracts: To transfer custody of the embryos, the adopting and donor parents will sign legal contracts. Prior to the embryo transfer, the donating parents will waive all rights to the embryos, and the contracts will give the adoptive parents entire control over the pregnancy and parental rights once the kid is born.

4. Embryo Transfer: Medical procedures can commence when contracts are signed. Fertility treatments will most likely be given to the adoptive mother in preparation for the frozen embryo transfer (FET), which is a technique comparable to IVF. A pregnancy will hopefully be confirmed after the embryos are transferred, and the adoptive mother will begin getting prenatal care as she would for any other pregnancy. It usually takes at least a year to complete the embryo adoption process. The actual amount of time depends on a number of things, including the adoption agency the family chooses to work with, the donor parent conditions they specify, the quality of embryos they require, and so on. Families interested in embryo adoption should contact various embryo adoption agencies and fertility clinics to find out more about expected wait times for their individual situations. Embryo adoption, like newborn adoption, does not end with the baby’s placement or birth. INFANT ADOPTION VS. EMBRYO ADOPTION While embryo adoption follows many of the same stages as baby adoption, such as the matching process and adoption home study, there are significant distinctions that adoptive parents should consider when determining which type of adoption is best for them. The pregnant experience is the most significant distinction between adopting an embryo and adopting an infant. Embryo adoption allows parents to carry and deliver their kids themselves, whereas typical domestic infant adoption relies on the birth mother to carry and deliver the baby before relinquishing her parental rights.

5. Adoptive parents typically feel more in control of embryo adoption because the adoptive mother carries the child herself. The peace of mind that comes with knowing that your child received excellent prenatal care is one of the advantages of this type of adoption. Furthermore, prior to delivery, adopting parents have legal rights to and responsibility for the embryos, removing the possibility that the birth mother will change her mind and wish to parent her child. While there are some clear benefits to embryo adoption, there are also certain drawbacks that adoptive parents should be aware of. There is no certainty that frozen embryo adoption will result in a live delivery — in fact, a frozen embryo adoption has only a 35% chance of success. This may necessitate adoptive parents attempting embryo adoption multiple times, sometimes with various embryo donors. Multiple matches and efforts may incur additional fees, depending on the agency with which the adoptive family is dealing. In addition, embryo adoption requires the adoptive mother to undergo medical procedures and reproductive unsuccessful attempts at various types of fertility treatments, many parents consider adoption as an alternative to these procedures. These are only a few of the advantages and disadvantages of embryo adoption as a comparison to baby adoption. When deciding to adopt, it is up to each individual to determine what is best for them and their family. treatments. After numerous WHAT IS THE COST OF EMBRYO ADOPTION? There are numerous alternatives available to prospective parents who want to start a family. One of the most important factors for these

6. parents when deciding on a path to motherhood is the expense. The cost of embryo adoption varies substantially depending on the circumstances of the adoptive family and the organization with whom they deal. Embryo adoption costs between $10,000 and $15,000 on average. This covers all adoption-related expenses, including: •Agency fees •Legal fees •Embryo shipping •Matching services •Medical screening •Counselling •Home study fees •Frozen embryo transfer Because birth parents’ living expenditures and travel costs are not included in embryo adoption, it is often less expensive than international adoption and domestic baby adoption. However, if repeated treatments are required, these costs might soon rise. Contact the embryo adoption agencies you’re contemplating working with to discuss your personal wants and circumstances in order to acquire a more accurate estimate of the prices for your embryo adoption.